Albumin is a protein that is normally excreted in the urine in very low quantities. Microalbuminuria is a pathological condition where excessive albumin is found in the urine. Microalbuminuria is defined as the presence of from about 20 to 300 milligrams of protein in a 24-hour urine specimen or a urinary albumin excretion rate of from about 20 to 200 micrograms per minute.
The condition of microalbuminuria is quite high in diabetic patients. In comparison with Type I or juvenile diabetes, persistent microalbuminuria tends to occur closer to the time of diagnosis in Type II or adult onset diabetes. One explanation for this discrepancy is that the actual onset of disease and the diagnosis are typically concurrent in Type I but may be separated by years in Type II diabetes.
The most significant association that microalbuminuria has in patients with diabetes is premature death, primarily due to cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown an increase in cardiovascular-related mortality in patients with Type II diabetes who have microalbuminuria. One study has reported that more than two-thirds of patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes and microalbuminuria had died within 10 years; 7% from renal failure and 58% from cardiovascular disease. In another study, within less than 31/2 years, 28% of the group with microalbuminuria had died and 80% of these deaths were due to cardiovascular disease. It is therefore believed that the presence of microalbuminuria is a risk factor associated with cardiovascular disease.
In addition to being an independent cardiovascular risk factor, microalbuminuria has been associated with increases in other known risk factors such as hypertension, abnormal lipid levels, blood coagulation disorders and possibly insulin resistance.
The current recommended treatment for microalbuminuria includes Ace-Inhibitors which are antihypertensive drugs. Ace-Inhibitors reduce microalbuminuria and have been reported to retard the progression of kidney failure. However, when the administration of Ace-Inhibitors ceases, microalbuminuria is likely to recur.
Vitamin/mineral compositions are known in the art to at least ensure that the user has the minimum essential requirements of the included vitamins and minerals. In some cases, some compositions are said to restore energetic balance or intensity, prevent or reduce life stage associated health risks such as menopause and the like. Examples of vitamins/mineral compositions are disclosed, for example, in D. Rowland, U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,613; A. H. Williams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,585; and S. D. Jackson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,011, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
It would be a significant advance in the medical arts to provide a method of preventing and/or treating microalbuminuria so as to reduce the presence of albumin in the urine and the associated diseases for which microalbuminuria is a risk factor. It would be a further advance in the medical arts to provide a method of preventing and/or treating microalbuminuria which does not rely on costly antihypertensive drugs which can have serious side effects for the patient. It would be a further advance in the medical arts to provide a method of preventing and/or treating microalbuminuria which relies on safe ingredients well tolerated by most people. It would be a still further advance in the medical field to provide a method of preventing and/or treating microalbuminuria in which the ingredients can be administered only once a day by the patient to thereby increase patient compliance with the recommended therapy.